Anna rearranged the figurines on the shelf, wiping the dust off with her sleeve. Every Friday, she performed her ritual of a deep cleaning—whether guests were coming or not. Cleanliness had become a habit, one that turned into an obsession. At fifty-eight, she felt that control over her home was the last thing that truly … Read more
Marina and Oleg had lived together for ten years. They had experienced so much during these years—a wedding, children, cozy family holidays, trips to the sea in an old car. Sometimes she was amazed at how quickly it all flew by, leaving no substantial traces on her soul. But if you looked a little deeper, … Read more
Veronika slowly lowered the cup of cooling coffee. Her fingers, adorned with rings—gifts from her husband over twenty years of marriage—trembled slightly. Through the vast panoramic window of the Bellagio restaurant, the view of the evening city spread out, yet she noticed neither the twinkling lights nor the bustling waiters. Her entire world had shrunk … Read more
From this moment on, I’ll tell you more in detail!” Nastya murmured with interest, carefully wiping dust and cobwebs off her face. True chaos reigned in her temporary hideaway. Sitting in that awkward position was extremely uncomfortable: she felt like sneezing, and her legs had long fallen asleep. But even such discomforts she was willing … Read more
Anna sat on the edge of the sofa, in the half-light of the living room, listening to the washing machine purring quietly behind the wall. The evening stretched on endlessly, reminiscent of hundreds of similar evenings over the past two years. Andrey wasn’t in any hurry to come home. She knew that soon he would … Read more
Lena, did you forget to put sugar in the tea again?” Viktor’s voice was deliberately calm, but I already knew: it was about to begin. In the living room the conversations instantly died down. His mother averted her gaze, his sister buried herself in her phone, and his father began scrutinizing the pattern on the … Read more
Marina woke up earlier than usual: the sounds of passersby could be heard outside the window — the night had been warm, and people had been out walking almost until morning. She sat up in bed and looked at her sleeping husband, Andrey. His steady breathing revealed he was in a deep sleep, but he … Read more
Nadezhda had always known how to work. At twenty‑two, after earning her degree in economics, she got a job at a small company. Five years later, she was already heading the finance department at a large firm. Her schedule—six days a week, often staying late into the evening—never elicited a single complaint from her. Everyone … Read more
Anton had always considered himself the master of his life. Even back in college, he managed to move in such a way that his classmates could only gape in amazement. While others were slogging over textbooks, Anton was already busy with business. Sometimes he was reselling cars, other times he was assembling computers to order. … Read more
Alyna, Alyna, it can’t be, is it really you?” – a male voice sounded. She flinched and slowly turned around. Standing before her was Andrei. The same Andrei, her first love, the one who had nearly gotten her stepfather to kill her. Alyna glanced at her husband, who was talking to the doctor at that … Read more